Anime Blog

Ask the Viking – Questions and Blogging

Do you have any particular question you want to ask me? Then just click this post and throw your questions at me in the comment section!

As a little way to celebrate me having reached one year of anime blogging, I decided to create this. It is just as it sounds: ask a question about anything (anime, blogging or something else) and I will, somehow, answer. If it is a topic I feel I want to expand upon a lot, I might do a full post instead of answering it in the comment section. I will be sure to let you know.

Hopefully this will be a good way for you readers to get to know me a little bit better than simply being the guy who blogs.

Actually, I don’t have any anime I avoid like plague! At least, I don’t at the moment. Heck, I am even up for watching Boku no Pico. Now, stuff like that or those typical old hyper violent movies may not be my first choices, but if I felt like watching them, I would. I doubt I’d enjoy it though.

Is reading other aniblogs and discovering new ones an important part of your activities as a fan?

I do not read that many aniblogs to be honest. I check out those I have in my blogroll along with a couple of others, but I don’t do it that often. In fact, I barely comment on them!

You could say it’s a bit “period wise”. Sometimes I read and comment a lot, sometimes I don’t at all. As for discovering new blogs… it’s all coincidence. Usually from a google image search (a lot of aniblogs aren’t active on Twitter or are up on Anime Nano).

If you could episodic blog any anime from any year as it aired, what would you pick and why?

Kinda hard to say since Sword Art Online, which I blog with Myst, is the first series I’ve done episodics posts on.

Most likely I would go with a series I really like, such as Aria the Animation or Toradora. Maybe even Hidamari Sketch or Cross Game. Aria doesn’t lend itself well for episodic blogging, though.

If I had to take a pick… Toradora? I love it so much. I even did some (mediocre) posts on it last winter!

What was the first anime you watched?
The first one you were a big fan of?
The first one you blogged and were a big fan of?
And the first one you watched as it aired in Japan?
And which anime do you most wish to have another season?

I actually don’t remember! It was some anime my uncle showed me, but I don’t remember which. My earliest memories are Galaxy Express 999 and My Neighbour Totoro, at least. Most likely one of those two.

Or perhaps it was Moomin, if we count that one.

But I never really acknowledged any of these series as “anime” back then. I think it was when I saw Dragon Ball Z on a trip to USA I knew what it was all about. That was when I realized what “anime” was.

Kinda complicated, right?

The first one you were a big fan of?

Dragon Ball Z! That later made me buy the manga in Swedish. The anime never aired on TV here, though. If we go by that, it’s Pokemon.

The first one you blogged and were a big fan of?

Not sure if I understand the question fully, especially since I am not an episodic blogger. I did do a couple of posts on Toradora last winter, though, which could count!

And the first one you watched as it aired in Japan?

I… I don’t really remember much, do I? My guess is Cross Game (April 2009 – March 2010), which is actually the second-longest series I’ve seen on a weekly basis (now beaten by Hunter x Hunter (2011)). A really wonderful series.

It was Fall Season 2010 I started following the currently airing anime for real, at least. That I know!

And which anime do you most wish to have another season?

Angel Beats!, although I’d rather say “extended remake” if that counts. As for proper sequel, it would be Un-Go. While not necessary, there’s still much to tell about the world and its characters.

Bonus answer: an OVA of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei’s manga ending. Just for fun, considering how it SCREWED WITH OUR MINDS. Studio Shaft knew the ending all along.

Bonus answer 2: Beet the Vandel Buster manga. Give it a continuation. It just ended after 12 volumes due to one of the authors getting sick, never to be picked up again. Loved it so much.

How many otaku hobbies in total do you have? (anime, manga VN, LN, etc..)

Anime, manga (though not that much anymore) and gaming, I guess? Or does blogging also count?

What’s your all-time most favorite anime of all?

Aria the Series, with Origination topping them all. While it may not appeal to everyone, people should give it a try. It’s unique. I don’t think any anime will ever resonate with me as much as Aria did.

Would you say your opinion of anime as a whole has changed dramatically since before you discovered anime blogs?

Uhm, I actually don’t know. If it has, it’s only to a lesser degree and not “dramatically”. However, most likely is that it’s not because of blogging, but rather having seen much more anime 🙂

Also, who is/are your personal waifu?

Surprise, surprise, but I don’t have any. None! Nada!

Some of my favorite female characters, though, are Akari and Alice (Aria the Animation), Miyako and Yuno (Hidamari Sketch), Haruhi (The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi), Taiga (Toradora). And let’s not forget about Taki (Natsume Yuujunchou (wish she had a bigger role)), who is on my avatar!

To be frank, I only started following the on-going anime seasons back in Fall 2010! In other words I didn’t watch as much anime back then as I do now, so it’s a bit hard to answer when it comes to series I’ve seen.

I could mention series that I haven’t watched, yet feel like they stood out, if you want that instead. Actually, what do you mean by stood out anyway?

Here are some fairly recent ones (note that I will only point out series that I’ve seen, excluding sequels, moves and OVA):

Spring 2009K-ON – And then there were moe.Cross Game – Another anime based on a manga by Mitsuru Adachi. A great series with great characters.

Summer 2009Bakemonogatari – The start of the Nisio Isin and studio Shaft popularity. It even broke a few records in terms of sales.

Spring 2010Angel Beats – Not only was this my first Key-series, but it was also one that wasn’t made by Kyoto Animation and didn’t have any source material.

Fall 2010Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt – When Gainax does WTF.

Winter 2010/11Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica – Shaft did it again and when Urobuchi Gen became a name in people’s mouths.Fractale – Yamakan claimed he was going to save anime. He completely failed.

Summer 2011Mawaru Penguindrum – While I didn’t enjoy it as much as others, it certainly was a unique ride that is only possible via animation. Symbolism everywhere.

Fall 2011Hunter x Hunter (2011) – Madhouse decides to remake a big shounen from the start! And despite being long-running it is surprisingly well-made in comparison to, for example, Naruto or One Piece.UN-GO – A loose adaptation of stories by an old writer set in the future? That works and is classy? A big surprise for me.Guilty Crown – It may be horrible, but it had basically every opportunity in the world to become great with such a great team of people.

Winter 2011/12Daily Lives of High School Boys – Self-aware comedy, sometimes being a satire. Also had boys being boys, which is rare for anime.

Spring 2012Sakamichi no Apollon – Watanabe and Kanno teams up again? Wow!Tsuritama – Fishing anime has never been this colorful before.Eureka Seven AO – Bones decides to revive one of their biggest franchises… (only to kill it by being really bad)Hyouka – When Kyoto Animation matured.

Thanks for the detailed response. I guess by “stood out” I either mean things that were particularly good (like Madoka Magica), or big name projects to avoid (like AO or Guilty Crown – yeesh), and you pretty much included both. I guess you could mention stuff that you didn’t watch but has good buzz or whatever.

I find it quite difficult to balance anime watching with other things the older I get. I have, several times put away anime never to return only to discover that my interactions with it change dramatically over time and this change often rekindles my interest in it. Do you find this also to be the case? Do you set aside time during the week to “turn the world off” and get lost in an anime series or OVA? How does your life affect the volume of anime you are able to watch (and, by proxy, the ability to maintain blog activity)? Thanks for any response.

Since I’m still rather young (19 years old) I would not say I have much problems with managing my time. When I start studying a lot, which might be next fall, there may be a slight decline in watching anime. University can be pretty tough, you know? But most likely I will still find time to watch a lot of anime~ (I am pretty good at planning)

This is if I don’t get a sudden urge to start gaming a lot again, though. I tend to either focus on that or anime periodically and currently I’d say I put the same amount of time in both. In a way, it is kind of refreshing (much as how you put away anime for a while) 🙂

When it comes to blogging, I would be able to do it without even watching anime! I’ve got a lot of ideas written down, so it’s as simple as picking one and then start writing.

I agree that the Tamayura OVAs were a bit boring at times probably because the times they spent just chatting with each other were not very entertaining (unlike excellent SoL shows), and the characters kinda didn’t break out of their archetypes so they didn’t really feel that alive. I think you should try the TV series sometime (I just found your MAL and saw that you haven’t watched it). IMO it’s a huge improvement from the OVAs in every aspect. Just from the 1st episode this is very evident. Since we seem to have the similar taste in SoL, maybe this will also be true for you 🙂

Btw I am not some random person who just happened to stumble upon your site today and decided to ask a question. I have been following this blog for months now but have never commented yet, I think. Just felt like commenting today lol

I haven’t finished Ikoku Meiro yet. I have a hard motivating myself to finish series I fell behind while watching weekly, regardless of the reason why I fell behind. Ikoku Meiro has a lot of those sweet parts (sometimes excessive for my liking). And while Tamayura has those also (though not excessive for my taste), Tamayura ~hitotose~ has quite a number of bittersweet episodes and scenes (which imo is not present in Ikoku Meiro) since the main character is dealing with the loss of a loved one. You can probably tell that I like Tamayura ~hitotose~ a lot more. I like Ikoku Meiro more than the Tamayura OVAs though.

1. As someone who (I’m assuming) is not a native English speaker, do you ever bother to watch anime in English?

I’m from Sweden, so I’m not a native speaker 🙂
I take it that you mean English dubs and no, I do not watch them. Heck, I’ve watched subbed things since I was a little kid, so I have no idea why I would trade away the original language for something that is worse most of the time.

There are some exceptions though. If I were to rewatch Baccano, I would use the English dub. I also remember really liking the dub of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, so maybe I would watch that in English too.

2. Do you reprimand other people IRL for downloading anime all the time but never buying any?

Not really. I don’t even buy much myself due to how poor the releases have been in my experience (ugh, Samurai Champloo was horrible and Full Metal Alchemist is supposed to be laughable). Besides, it’s rather expensive, so I would only buy my favorite titles, which aren’t even available in Europe.

So, no, I don’t really mind others not buying. I wish many would take the smug off their faces and realize what they are doing, though. If I lived in USA I would definitely buy my favorite titles and start subscribing to, say, Hulu or Crunchyroll and watch legally. If you are an American you have a wide range of legal options and I would support that.

But of course, it is not a definitive “support”. If I find the services bad, I would not support them. It’s a bit hard to answer this question, honestly. Too many factors.

All in all, I don’t reprimand them. But I wish some would be less… arrogant.

Thanks for the reply. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex has a good dub, and so do Serial Experiments Lain and Ergo Proxy. I try to watch anime in English from time to time to spice things up. Most of the time I find myself returning to Japanese to get my fix though 😀

I haven’t really encountered anime fans who download stuff and are arrogant about it. Then again I haven’t been to an anime convention in Europe or the U.S. in years…

Tell you what, I’ll give you some more questions to make your replying time more worthwhile.

What is your favorite anime based on a game?
What is your favorite anime based on a light novel?
What is your favorite anime based on a manga?
What is your favorite anime with no source material at all?

I don’t mind Sword Art Online, but I’d have to say the .hack material is my favorite. Legend of the Twilight Bracelet is an excellent manga, and it’s a shame the anime version sucks so hardcore.

I’d choose a visual novel as well, with Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate. That’s currently my favorite recent series.

For series based on a light novel, Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu and subsequently, the film. I really hope more animated material is in the works, because I have a shelf stacked with the light novels and there is some amazing material just waiting to be adapted.

For manga-based, and I apologize if you are someone who dislikes things that are “mainstream”, but I’d have to go with Bleach.

And of course, my favorite anime with no source material is Angel Beats!

Due to the manga being monthly, the anime caught up early on and resorted to pure filler for the remainder of the series. Thus, we never get to see Zefie, nor any of the characters that would link it to other .hack canon, nor any of the events of the “bigger story” unfolding. The direction the anime takes after the split is pretty contrived, and the main antagonist(s) borders on a soulless entity for plot’s sake.

The art is cute, though.

I would say that .hack//SIGN is the best. The music is beauty incarnate, and it’s a great starting point for a very well-thought-out universe.

Just when I am getting bored of Bleach, something will happen that excites me again. I do miss the anime, but I still get the manga each week and it’s definitely tying up loose ends as this is the final arc.